Frank J. Selke

Frank J. Selke (left) with Elmer Lach (1942)

Francis "Frank" J. Selke (born May 7, 1893 in Berlin , Ontario ; † July 3, 1985 ) was a Canadian ice hockey manager and coach.

Career

At the age of 14 Frank J. Selke took over the management of the ice hockey team Iroquois Bantams and at the age of 26 he led the University of Toronto as a coach to win the first ever Memorial Cup .

He finally got into big business when Conn Smythe bought the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1927 and made Selke assistant general manager. He also continued to enjoy success as a coach and won his second Memorial Cup with the Toronto Marlboros , the Maple Leafs' junior team. At the Maple Leafs, Selke was known to have a good eye for young talent he brought into the NHL and helped Smythe particularly strongly in the implementation of the Maple Leaf Gardens .

In 1942, Selke took over the business of the Maple Leafs when Smythe moved into World War II for Canada . In the absence of Smythe, Selke Frank Eddolls transferred to the Montréal Canadiens and received Theodore Kennedy for it . Smythe found out about this transfer deal and was anything but happy with it, as he had sympathy for Eddolls. In the following years, however, Kennedy developed into one of the best players in the Maple Leafs, while Eddolls could not start a great career, which is why Selke was right in this decision. Another point that drove the two friends apart was that Selke opened the Maple Leaf Gardens to events that had nothing to do with ice hockey. When Smythe returned from Europe in 1945, he was faced with a large group of Maple Leafs officials who advocated Frank J. Selke continuing to operate as general manager. Smythe fought against it and finally regained control of the team, but his friendship with Selke was destroyed. Selke left the team in 1946 after winning the Stanley Cup three times under the leadership of Smythe-Selke .

Shortly thereafter, he took over the post of General Manager of the Montréal Canadiens, the archenemy of the Maple Leafs. In the 1950s the farm system he had built in Montréal flourished and many great talents emerged from it, such as Jean Béliveau , Dickie Moore or Henri Richard .

In 1960 Frank J. Selke was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and finally ended his career in 1964. Under his leadership as General Manager, Montréal has won the Stanley Cup six times. In 1978 the NHL introduced the Frank J. Selke Trophy , which is awarded annually to the striker with the best defensive qualities. In 1985 Frank J. Selke died at the age of 92.

Web links

• Frank J. Selke in the database of the Hockey Hall of Fame (English)